The following morning I awoke happy for a number of reasons: 1. Free coffee in the hotel 2. It was 60 degrees and overcast outside 3. In Brussels, French is one of the primary languages spoken. After spending 4 weeks in countries whose language I did not speak more than at a basic conversational level (e.g. hello, thank you, goodbye), I was thrilled to be able to really communicate with people. Also, as most of you know I am a cold-weather person and so after spending two blisteringly hot days in Seville, the 40 degree temperature drop made me more than content. I'm sure the people in Brussels must've thought I was crazy walking around with a big grin on my face due to the cool gray weather. As it started to rain (SHWING!), I decided that there was nothing more that I wanted than to find a quiet cafe where I could grab a cup of coffee and sit down to write. To my great pleasure, I found an adorable cafe specializing in bagels run by two middle aged women. I sat inside for about an hour drinking great coffee, eating a toasted bagel with cream cheese, writing in my journal and listening to the women gab in French. Needless to say, I was thoroughly content with life that morning. After my coffee break, I wandered the streets of Brussels for a bit stopping at numerous sites (e.g. churches, fountains, etc) before deciding I was getting too wet to wander the streets sans umbrella. Luckily, I ran smack dab into an H&M, went inside and proceeded to go on my first shopping "spree" (a dress, 2 tops on sale, and a pair of earrings). I then went back to the hostel, grabbed my belongings and headed to the train station where I got on a train to Bruges.
Although the train ride from Brussels to Bruges is only a little over an hour, upon arrival in the city you feel as though you are in a totally different country. Long gone is the comforting feeling of understanding the language around you as French is no longer the language spoken in the city, but Flemish, rather. I got off the train, figured out the bus I had to take to the hostel, got to and checked in at the Snuffel Backpacker hostel. Save for the language barrier, I immediately felt good vibes upon arriving in Bruges. As you wander around the city it feels like you are in a perpetual postcard, because it is just that damn beautiful. You are surrounded by canals, beautiful architecture, churches, parks covered in trees, and people on bicycles. Aside from its visual beauty, Bruges also always sounds beautiful due to the sound of the wind on the canals, people ringing bells on their bikes, and the church bells seem to constantly be tolling. If you've seen the movie In Bruges, which you absolutely should because it's great, Bruges really is a f***ing fairytale city.
Later that evening I took the train back to Brussels where I spent the evening before departing for Paris the next morning.
The Belfry
Canals everywhere
Location of the scene in In Bruges where they are filming the movie
Cool building
Beautiful park where Colin Farrell almost does something to himself (won't spoil it!)
Gazebo where lots of locals gather to spend time
Marketplace
